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Sump filtration for a beginner

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So right now I have a 45 gallon that is filtered with a fluval g3 canister and an ac 50 hob. I like the fluval g3 for it's ease of use, easy to open, easy to change/clean cartridges, easy to disconnect the hoses to clean. Dislike because of the limited space for media, especially things like chemi pure elite that I recently have become a fan of.

What my plans are in the near future is to purchase a 90 to 120 gallon tank and use sump filtration. l like that they seem to hold tons of media and I could hide the heater and uv sterilizer also in the sump and not have it cluttering up the tank. They also look easy to work with (I have arthritis in my fingers and have difficulty with some canister filters). I'm not super handy especially when it comes to plumbing so I don't feel comfortable making my own and I also don't want to flood my room if there is a power outage and an overflow issue. Also is it better to have a drilled tank for sump filtration or is drilled just for aesthetics?

I'm just not sure where to start and need a little help with the direction to go in regarding to purchasing this type filtration and how to have the tank drilled to go with the filtration system.

I recently built and implemented one, best thing i did. However they do have issues a few of which you have raised. Flooding being the major one. Drilling the tank is the best way to go not only for aesthetics but for safety. Using a DIY overflow/siphon system requires too much to remain constant for it to work after a power outage, I tried them and they do work if done properly but being a mini ecosystem things change in a tank and this could create issues.

I have gone the drilled tank path and wouldn't go back, I drilled it in the bean animal style of overflow, which requires a minimum of 3 holes, four if you want the return drilled. Google and youtube bean animal and also check out my journal, link is in my signature, where I describe, have picture and videos of the bean animal in action

Its actually pretty easy to set-up and plumb a sump so you will get no water on the floor should the power go out and everything returns to normal once the power comes back on. The below links give a lot more detailed info on how to do that

If you take your time to do the research FIRST, you can successfully set-up and keep ANY type of aquarium with ease."Not using a quarantine tank is like playing Russian roulette. Nobody wins the game, some people just get to play longer than others." - Anthony CalfoFishless CycleCycling with FishMarine Aquarium Info [URL="http://saltwater.aquaticcommunity.com/"]

Yeah if you already have a drilled tank, or the money to do so I would go that route.

I put together a DIY PVC Overflow and have had no issues running it for the last 1.5 months. I completed thorough testing of my overflow before switching over to it full time, simulated a 5 day power outage (though not common in my area) and when I powered the pump up again everything went smoothly with no issues.

Its actually pretty easy to set-up and plumb a sump so you will get no water on the floor should the power go out and everything returns to normal once the power comes back on. The below links give a lot more detailed info on how to do that

Cliff those articles are absolutely fantastic!!! I actually think after reading the information that with a little help from the husband I could definitely build and plumb a sump myself. I still have lots of research to finish but I'm really looking forward to the project now.